Grammar Focus: Present Perfect Continuous

The Present Perfect Continuous describes actions that started in the past and are still continuing now, or have recently stopped with a result in the present. Form: have/has + been + verb-ing.

• Actions continuing up to now: Scientists have been warning us about this problem for years.
• Recent actions with a visible result: Your eyes are red. Have you been crying?

Simple vs. Continuous: Simple focuses on the result (I have read that book); Continuous focuses on the duration/ongoing nature (I have been reading that book all day). Time words: for, since, all day, recently, lately.